It’s been a whirlwind week in New York and Washington as two major cases have shined a harsh spotlight on alleged covert Chinese influence operations in the United States—and the American responses to them. From the corridors of state government to the highest office in the land, the stories of Michael McMahon and Linda Sun are rattling nerves and raising questions about how far foreign governments will go to pursue their interests on U.S. soil—and how American institutions should respond.
On November 8, 2025, President Donald Trump issued a pardon for Michael McMahon, a former New York police sergeant who had been convicted earlier this year of assisting China in a campaign to pressure an ex-official, Xu Jin, into returning to China. According to Associated Press reporting, McMahon had been sentenced to 18 months in prison after a jury found him guilty of acting as an illegal foreign agent and stalking, all part of what federal prosecutors called "a campaign of transnational repression."
McMahon, now 58, had always insisted he was misled. He claimed he thought he was taking on a simple private investigator’s job for a Chinese construction company, not the government itself. "I never thought for one minute I was working for China, stalking anyone," McMahon said at his sentencing, as quoted by AP. His defense attorney, Lawrence Lustberg, described the pardon as having “corrected a horrible injustice,” adding, “I will always believe that it was the Chinese government that victimized Mike, a true hero cop, whom our government should have celebrated and honored, rather than indicted.”
The White House, in an unannounced move, emphasized McMahon’s explanation that he had been duped and highlighted his commendable 14-year NYPD career, which ended after a 2001 injury. U.S. Representatives Mike Lawler and Pete Sessions, who had written to the court on McMahon’s behalf, also applauded the president’s decision. Lawler went so far as to declare on social media, “The former officer never should have been prosecuted to begin with.”
But the story that landed McMahon in legal jeopardy is anything but straightforward. At the heart of the case was China’s “Operation Fox Hunt,” which U.S. authorities say is sometimes used as a tool of “transnational repression”—a term for sending government operatives abroad to harass, threaten, or silence dissidents. Beijing, for its part, insists Fox Hunt is just a legitimate effort to repatriate fugitives, including corrupt officials, and denies making threats to secure their return.
The target in this instance was Xu Jin, a former Chinese city official who had moved to suburban New Jersey in 2010 with his family. The Chinese government accused Xu and his wife of bribery, but the couple denied the charges, claiming instead they were being targeted due to internal Communist Party politics. With no extradition treaty between China and the U.S., prosecutors say Beijing orchestrated a years-long pressure campaign, involving everything from disparaging Facebook messages to Xu’s daughter’s friends to a chilling visit from Xu’s elderly father, flown in from China to urge his son to return.
Perhaps the most unsettling moment came when Xu’s wife discovered a note on their front door. The message, translated in court, read: “If you are willing to go back to the mainland and spend 10 years in prison, your wife and children will be all right. That’s the end of this matter!” Xu testified, “Before seeing the note, I thought the Chinese Communist Party's overtures were only a mental threat to me. However, when I saw that note, I realized that it had become a physical threat.”
McMahon, hired for $11,000 by his co-defendants—Chinese citizens who remain in prison—had conducted surveillance and searched law enforcement databases. He and his attorney acknowledged that he missed “red flags” about the job, but maintained he had no idea the information he provided would be used to harass Xu. Three others pleaded guilty in the case, and five suspects remain at large, believed to be in China.
While McMahon was returning home to New Jersey, another courtroom drama was unfolding in Brooklyn. On November 12, 2025, Linda Sun and her husband, Chris Hu, were set to go on trial, accused by federal prosecutors of acting as undisclosed agents of China and the Chinese Communist Party. The case, as reported by CNN, is part of a broader crackdown on alleged covert Chinese government influence in the U.S.
The details read like a spy novel: prosecutors allege Sun received gifts ranging from Nanjing-style salted ducks prepared by a Chinese consulate chef to tickets for concerts at Carnegie Hall and ballets at Lincoln Center—not to mention millions of dollars in kickbacks. In exchange, they say, Sun covertly promoted Beijing’s agenda, shaping New York state officials’ positions and even blocking representatives from Taiwan from meeting with state officials. According to the indictment, Sun also ensured that a Lunar New Year message omitted any mention of the detention of Uyghurs in China.
Sun, a Chinese-born naturalized U.S. citizen, worked at several state agencies during the administrations of Governors Kathy Hochul and Andrew Cuomo. Her husband, a U.S. citizen, ran several businesses, including a seafood export company. Prosecutors allege the couple laundered money through the purchase of a $4 million suburban home, a $2 million ocean-view condo in Honolulu, and a 2024 Ferrari Roma, among other luxury cars.
The charges against Sun include violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, money laundering conspiracy, bribery, and accepting kickbacks related to state contracts for Covid-19 protective equipment. Sun and Hu have pleaded not guilty. Their lawyers argue that the indictment “strings together events separated by years in service of a strained casual narrative,” and that Sun’s actions aligned with U.S. policy—recognizing China while maintaining unofficial relations with Taiwan.
In one piece of evidence cited by prosecutors, Sun wrote to a Chinese consulate official in January 2019: “I very much value my relationship with the consulate and have done many things to make the relationship between the state and the consulate flourish during my tenure with [Politician-1]. Certainly I have managed to stop all relationships between the [Taiwan economic and cultural offices] and the state. I have denied all requests from their office.” The official replied, “I know and do appreciate your help. With us now in the political section, you are the most important hub connecting us with [Politician-1] and his team.” Based on the indictment, Politician-1 refers to former Governor Cuomo. None of the politicians have been accused of wrongdoing.
These cases, while different in their details, both underscore the growing concern in Washington and beyond about foreign governments’ attempts to influence American institutions and individuals. They also raise uncomfortable questions about how to balance vigilance against foreign interference with fairness to those who, like McMahon, may have become unwitting pawns in a much larger game.
As the trials and investigations continue, the stories of McMahon and Sun serve as a sobering reminder of the complex, high-stakes chess match playing out between the U.S. and China—not just in diplomatic back rooms, but in the lives of ordinary Americans caught in the crossfire.
